Apr. 30—Lapwai's Titus Yearout will be back in the valley.

Yearout, a four-year Vandal, is transferring from University of Idaho to Lewis-Clark State College, he announced with an Instagram post on Thursday, complete with the caption "#GoWarriors."

Yearout, who earned Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year honors during his senior 2021-22 season and led the Lapwai Wildcats to back-to-back state championships in '21 and '22, will take his talents to Lewiston.

Yearout sat out this past season at Idaho, recovering from surgery to his right hip labrum. While he was out, the Vandal men's basketball team won the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship and earned its first berth to the NCAA Tournament since 1990.

Following this historic season, a number of Vandals hit the transfer portal, including Big Sky Freshman of the Year Jackson Rasmussen, who moved to Oregon State.

In seeking reinforcements, Idaho added another state championship-winning Lapwai alum in Kase Wynott, who spent the last two years at Washington State.

Wynott set the state of Idaho's prep basketball scoring record. While a reunion with Yearout, his high school teammate and fellow Gatorade Player of the Year honoree, will not be on the table, both former Wildcats join programs where they could find elevated success.

Through four years in Moscow, Yearout spent two seasons on the court, where he averaged 2.9 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.3 assists through 10.3 minutes per game. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound guard shot an efficient 40.6% from the floor and 35.7% from beyond the arc.

In Lewiston, Yearout will join coach Austin Johnson's winning program. LC State men's basketball is fresh off a Cascade Conference regular season championship season which saw the Warriors advance to the NAIA Tournament.

However, LCSC is losing its all-time leading scorer, Colfax alum John Lustig, to graduation.

"Let's go!!! He's home," Lustig wrote in a comment on Yearout's Instagram post.

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Yearout's former teammates showed their support as well.

"This gonna be cinema," Idaho sophomore Miles Klapper wrote, followed by three fire emojis.

"Yessir brother," former Vandal Tyler Mrus wrote, followed by a heart emoji.

"Hometown hero," wrote former Vandal Tre Blassingame, who recently transferred to William and Mary.

Yearout won't be the only local product new to the team, as soon-to-be Lewiston High School alum Royce Fisher is joining the Warriors as a true freshman.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2260, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.